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G. W. WATSON.

CHILD'S VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21. 19!].

1 ,3 1 7,407 Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

GEORGE w. WATSON, orrosron, ilrAss-ACH sETrs, ass mes oirn ropnriiro ALLEN & DAGGETT, I1\TC., OF'NORWICH, CONNECTICUT; A C'o'EroEA'rIoN. or Coir"- NECTIGUT.

CHILD'S VEHICLE.

Patented sept. so; 1919.

Application filed September 21, 19 17. sear: No. ieaeoi.

To all whom it may 00mm.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W; WVA'rsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Childrens Vehicles, of which the following is, a specification.

This invention relates to a childs'v'ehicle, the object of the invention being to provlde a toy for children which can be propelled by the feet of the person using the same While seated thereon, by pushing with the feet upon the floor or ground upon which the vehicle rests at the time it is being used.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a vehicle of the character set forth which is adaptable for children of difierent sizes and ages and this is accomplished by providing a seat which is adjustable toward and away from the body portion of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seat which can be rotated upon the body portion of the vehicle so as to readily and easily accommodate itself to difierent positions assumed by the body of the user.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved childs vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 is the body portion of the vehicle consisting of a flat board-having straight sides 6. 7 is a bolster attached to the rear end of the body portion 5 and havin wheels 8 rotatably mounted thereon. Said bolster is provided with a brace 9 eX- tending therefrom to the under side of the body portion 5 to which it is fastened.

A steering member 10 is rotatably mounted at 11 in the body portion 5 adjacent to the front end thereof. Said steering member is provided with a handle 12 and has a wheel 13 rotatably-mounted at 14 upon the lower end thereof.

Abutment blocks 15 are fastened to the top of the body portion 5 against which the child may place his feet. A nut 16 is fastened to the under side of the body portion 5 and forms in effect a portion thereof and said nut is engaged by a screw 17 which has a flange 18 at its upper end and is fastened to a circular seat 19, whereby said seat is caused to have screw-threaded connection with said body portion.

The general operatlon of the herein-j before described is as follows: The child.-

sits upon the seat 19 and straddles the body portion 5 placing his feet upon the ground he propels the vehicle, at the same timesteering it by means of the handle 12, steering member 10 and wheel 13. When the vehicle is moving on a down grade or when it has received momentum enough from the pushing of the same, as hereinbefore de scribed, the child lifts his feet and places. them against the abutment blocks 15.

It is evident that the seat 19 may be raised and lowered to accommodate children of different sizes and ages and that as the child propels the vehicle any slight change in the position of the body is accommodated by the rotation of the seat 19.

By providing the abutment blocks 15 on either side of the steering post 10 the control and the steering of the device are greatly facilitated and the comfort of the user is enhanced by doing away with the necessity of bending ones body forward in order to gain control of the steering member, and at the same time allowing of a backward inclination of the body of the user'with his feet on the abutment blocks and without disturbing the balance of the device by being either forced to bend the body forward for steering purposes or-by the childs tendency of pushing himself on the flat body of the vehicle too far in the backward direction. An additional safeguard against the overbalancing thereby incurred is afforded by the provision of the rotatable and adjustable seat which is preferably arranged somewhat in front of the center of the rear wheels and which counteracts the tendency of the child to slide too far to the rear along the car body in his effort to gain a comfortable balancing position, and the proper balancing position is always insured thereby while at the same time affording an opportunity to the user of swinging his body around and inclining the same in all directions without his losing his hold on the car body and on the abutment blocks which latter with this end in view are preferably downwardly and backwardly inclined so that their faces are stantially circular seat rotatably mounted to therear of the steering post,"and in order to further assist the user in assuming the inclined position the seatis preferably concentric to its rotating center 17 ,and is mar- .ginally unobstructed, having neither back nor arm supports to interfere With 7 the swinging movement of the body. 7 Havin thus. described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to se- Go'piei of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by

on said body in advance of said rear'supporting means, a steeringpost at the front, end ofsaid body and operatively connected to saidv front supporting means, downwardly and rearwardly inclined abutting vIneans adapted. for contact with the feet of theuser -upon the upper surface of the elongated body, and substantially confined between the steering post and the sides of the elongated In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

Witnesses:

, CHARLES S. Goonmc,

SYDNEY E. TAFT.

, addressing theConimissioner of Iatents, Wanhington, D. 0.

GEORGE W. WATSON. Q 

